PFAS, often referred to as fluorocarbons, are a large, complex group of manufactured chemicals present in a variety of consumer products, including performance fabrics, that do not degrade easily in the environment and may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals. The majority of Nassimi products—including its performance upholstery fabric Supreen—have always been PFAS-free, while offering the same level of high stain and liquid resistance.
“Human health and environmental stewardship have always been of great importance to us at Nassimi. For many years now, we’ve been on the path to ending the use of potentially harmful chemicals in our fabrics, and we are proud to eliminate PFAS from all products,” said Iwan Nassimi, EVP, Nassimi. “Given our prior experience developing PFAS-free alternatives, I’m confident that our customers and end-users will still find that the performance capabilities of our fabrics exceed expectations.”
While conventionally used PFAS-free alternatives are often less effective in repelling stains, Nassimi’s proprietary technology in the finishing process offers highly effective stain protection. As an example, Nassimi’s Supreen liquid barrier fabrics use a silicone-based stain repellent that is applied following a patented fabric-purification process. This allows for the silicone to fully embed itself into the textile’s fiber to create an invisible layer of stain protection. Likewise, the surface treatments of Writer’s Block polyurethanes, SiO silicones and Resilience faux leathers provide exceptional stain resistance, without the use of any harmful chemicals.
There are four states with current legislation related to stain repellents used in furniture and upholstery textiles: California, Maine, Massachusetts and Minnesota. In general, these laws prohibit the sale or distribution of carpets, rugs, fabric treatments, upholstered furniture or textile furnishings that contain perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl chemicals. To date, Maine is the first state to have a law against the sale of upholstered furniture. The law has two phases, the first of which is requiring a disclosure statement be supplied to the State of Maine for any company that ships products containing PFAS into the state of Maine. This requirement went into effect on Jan. 1. The second phase, which prohibits the sale of furniture with PFAS, is scheduled to be fully implemented Jan. 1, 2030.
Tags: fabric, Iwan Nassimi, Nassimi
